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A cozy, creamy slow-cooker soup featuring tender shredded chicken, pillowy potato gnocchi, vegetables, and a velvety broth thickened with a cornstarch and cream slurry.

Ingredients

Scale
  • about 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 2–3 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2–3 celery stalks, chopped
  • half a yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 2–3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 2 cups baby spinach, added near the end
  • fresh Italian parsley, chopped (to taste)
  • 1–2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon (optional)
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
  • 1 cup half-and-half or cream (heavy or light)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch (for slurry)
  • 16 ounces uncooked potato gnocchi (mini or full-sized)

Instructions

  1. Thaw chicken overnight in the refrigerator or submerge sealed chicken in cold water, changing water every 30 minutes until thawed.
  2. Chop carrots, celery, and onion; mince garlic and chop parsley.
  3. Place raw chicken, chopped vegetables, garlic, herbs, seasonings, and chicken broth into the slow cooker.
  4. Stir gently to combine, cover, and cook on low for 6–8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.
  5. Remove or shred the cooked chicken with two forks, then return shredded chicken to the pot.
  6. Whisk cornstarch into cold half-and-half or cream until smooth to form a slurry.
  7. Stir the cream-cornstarch slurry into the slow cooker.
  8. Add uncooked gnocchi and fresh baby spinach to the pot.
  9. Cover, set the slow cooker to high, and cook 30–45 minutes to activate the slurry and thicken the soup.
  10. If the soup needs thickening, whisk additional cornstarch into cold water or cream and stir in; if too thick, add broth or water a splash at a time to loosen.
  11. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, lemon juice, herbs, or grated Parmesan as desired.

Notes

Use chicken thighs for juicier, forgiving meat if cooking longer; breasts work for shorter cooks., Avoid cooking frozen chicken in slow cooker due to safety; thaw first., Add gnocchi only after shredding chicken and adding slurry to avoid gumminess., Better Than Bouillon adds salt, taste before adding extra salt., Soup thickens when refrigerated; reheat with broth or water to loosen., Top with optional garnishes like crispy bacon, Parmesan, fresh herbs, or red pepper flakes at serving., Can be adapted to Instant Pot by using slow cook mode or pressure cooking with adjusted times.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://margorecipes.com/creamy-crockpot-chicken-gnocchi-soup/